The present invention relates to audio signal processing and, specifically, to techniques for improving phone audio quality using adaptive volume control and a variety of signal processing techniques.
The sophistication of teleconferencing equipment and services has steadily increased as this mode of conducting business has become commonplace in the business world. However, as anyone familiar with these technologies can attest, there are significant shortcomings associated with even the most technologically advanced teleconferencing systems. Typically, these shortcomings relate to level problems, spectral imbalances, and background noise.
For example, a common problem with which most teleconferencing users are familiar relates to imbalance among the relative volume levels associated with the various parties participating in a conference call. That is, because of the different signal levels associated with different phone equipment and/or the relative positions of various speakers with respect to a particular phone, the voices of some participants are too loud, while others are often imperceptible. This is particularly the case for analog systems (which still comprise a significant portion of the market), although digital systems may also suffer from similar limitations. In addition, the relatively low fidelity of many telephone infrastructure components, and the resulting noise and distortion further negatively affect the intelligibility of reproduced voice signals.
It is therefore desirable to provide techniques by which volume imbalances in telephony applications may be mitigated. It is also desirable to provide such techniques which deal with other issues such as, for example, spectral imbalances and background noise.